Do fewer projects and pay workers, Abia NLC tells Ikpeazu

Chairman of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Abia State chapter, Uchenna Obigwe, has urged the state governor, Dr. Okezie Ikpeazu, to consider undertaking fewer projects in order to pay workers’ salaries.

He told The Guardian yesterday at Umuahia that workers and pensioners who are owed salaries are facing economic hardship and dying, stressing that it is only the living that use and enjoy physical infrastructure.

He appreciated the governor for ensuring that workers in the state core ministries and agencies were not owed salaries and tasked him to extend same to other workers and pensioners.

He said that both workers and residents in the state buy from the same market at same prices, adding that Labour had always supported the government in doing what is righteous.

“Although we would continue to advise and support the government, as doing so, would not be to the workers detriment,” Obigwe warned.
He said that the NLC would present workers’ stand on welfare to the government after the public holiday, which he said, was not done on Saturday.

He attributed not doing so to the workers May Day celebration that did not hold due to COVID-19 pandemic and the state of insecurity and rising banditry in the country, saying that the celebration usually afforded Labour the opportunity to interact with the government and draw its attention to workers’ welfare issues.